


The Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present

by Small_Hobbit



Series: Twelve Days of Christmas plus A Few [2]
Category: Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 23:57:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13111287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: Where would Christmas be without some angst for Lucas?





	The Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present

**Author's Note:**

  * For [okapi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/okapi/gifts).



“Go home,” Harry Pearce had said, “It’s almost Christmas, Lucas, go home, do your last bits of preparation, enjoy your Christmas and we’ll see you on the 30th.”

Go home to what?  A cold flat, no decorations apart from a few cards he’d stuck on the top of the bookcase for want of anything else to do with them, and nothing much in the fridge.  At least there was a bottle of whisky which he would soon be making inroads into.

Lucas collapsed onto the sofa, switched the television on and reached to turn the heating up.  As he did so he heard his father’s voice in his head, “put a thicker jumper on, we don’t need the heating on until after tea.”

Looking at the television, Lucas saw a black and white version of A Christmas Carol was just beginning.  At least the Ghost of Christmas Past could show Scrooge some happy Christmases.  Lucas’ abiding memory of childhood Christmases was the disappointment he would feel and his father’s reminder he should be grateful for what he had been given “after all, it might have been a lump of coal.”

But maybe that was the perfect preparation for eight Christmases spent in a Russian jail.  Not that he’d known it was Christmas, of course.  Because there even the lump of coal wouldn’t have gone amiss, and no chance of putting on a thicker jumper.

Mentally, Lucas dismissed the Ghost of Christmas Past and welcomed the Ghost of Christmas Present.  He switched the television off and put the radio on; with any luck he’d be able to find some classical music without any hint of the festive about it.  That would sum up his current Christmas nicely.

Before he’d had time to change the channel, Elvis Presley was singing about his Blue Christmas.  “Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree.”  It had seemed like everyone on the Grid had been discussing their Christmas decorations, which ranged from Malcolm’s traditional red, green and gold, to Ros’ modern purple, blue and silver.  Even Adam had joined in with a laugh, saying ‘we just get the box down and hang everything up, none of it matches, but it doesn’t seem to matter’.

Lucas looked around his room.  He had thought of buying a small tree, but he’d not got round to it, and then there hadn’t been any point because it wasn’t as if anyone else would see it.  He supposed he could go out and find some decorations, but why bother when he didn’t have anything to celebrate.  Elvis knew what he was singing about.  Tinsel and chains and such like weren’t necessary when the only callers were the blue memories.

Suddenly Lucas’ phoned pinged with an incoming message.  Hurriedly he opened it, hoping something had happened and he was called back to the Grid.

The message in fact said: ‘Picking you up in half an hour. Pack changes of clothes. Nothing else needed.’

At least he wouldn’t mind having to work over Christmas.

 


End file.
